The Daily

Man arrested for beating dog to death with machete

What is it that so riled Juan Mendiola that he allegedly beat his dog to death with a machete last night? According to a police report, Mendiola, 29, was “trying to discipline it for chewing up a set of earphones.”

Police were called out to OakStone Apartments when neighbors saw medium sized boxer-pit bull mix named Tiger lingering around the complex, covered in blood. According to the report, officers found the dog “covered in blood with a large gash on its front left shoulder.” They also noticed a “substantial amount of blood on the sidewalk.”

Mendiola told officers he disciplined the dog by beating it with a sheathed, black “Zombie Survival” machete. Sometime during the beating, the blade became exposed and Mendiola started to cut into the animal, said Animal Care Services spokeswoman Lisa Norwood. When Mendiola saw the dog was seriously hurt, he let the dog outside and tossed a blade in a nearby dumpster, according to the police report.

Norwood said officers took the dog to an animal ER off Fredricksburg Road. The dog died Wednesday morning.

Police arrested Mendiola last night on a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. Norwood said police may upgrade his charge to a felony. – Michael Barajas